Death in Zambian mine

The press coverage of this speaks multitudes: compare the number of sentences given to the copper theft with the number of sentences given to the death of a Zambian miner.

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CHILILABOMBWE police have thwarted theft of a truckload of finished copper at Kasumbalesa, acting Copperbelt Province police chief Danwell Kasonde has said. He said two people had been nabbed in connection with the attempted theft of copper from Promo truck carrying copper for Glenco of Switzerland. Speaking with the Times in Chingola, Mr Kasonde said around 01:00 hours on Tuesday night, police at Kasumbalesa were informed by two people that unknown criminals were offloading copper from a foreign Volvo truck Registration number 237FS and trailer number DMN 4449P and were loading on another truck. He said upon arrival at the scene police found a group of people offloading copper from the Volvo truck into the Hino truck registration number TLN 5963ND. Mr Kasonde said the Hino Truck for the suspects and the Volvo truck carrying copper plates together with the two suspects were at Chililabombwe central police. He said the value and the tonnage of copper on the truck, which was coming from Democratic Republic of Congo on its way to South Africa, had not yet been ascertained. In Kabwe, a security guard at Pollen market was in the early hours of yesterday killed by suspected robbers who broke into the market and tried to get away with groceries from one of the shops. Francis Chilundika Njovu in his 60s of Nakoli Township died at Kabwe General Hospital after he was rushed for medical attention around 01:00 hours. Njovu was found with cuts on his head and his hands and legs tied while his mouth was stuffed with a piece of cloth. His fellow security guard, Moloton Chate who witnessed the robbery, said in an interview yesterday that the robbers attacked the market around 24:00hrs. He said that he was guarding from one of the two entrances at the market while Njovu was guarding the other entrance. Mr Chate said he first heard some noise of someone trying to break into the market and he rushed with his cater putts to try and scare away the intruder. He however, said that after noticing that there was more than one intruder, he climbed the market wall fence and rushed to the community development police post, which was just near the market to call for help. Mr Chate said the police responded quickly and they rushed to the market but the robbers managed to run away leaving their loot behind. He said that they found Njovu with cuts on the head and that he was tied both his hands and legs and there was a piece of cloth stuffed in his mouth. Mr Chate said that the robbers left behind detergent pasts, candles and talk time from one of the shops.

And a miner has died at Chambishi’s NFC after a rockfall. National Union for Miners and Allied Workers(NUMAW) general secretary Goodwell Kaluba confirmed the death of Lewis Kunda in an interview yesterday. Mr Kaluba said the incident happened in the early hours of Tuesday but that the union was yet to be furnished with a detailed report of what actually transpired. He said Kunda was working as a surveyor at the time of his death.